One More Dinger Before July 27, 2005

Gemmy10

and A-Rod will be the first Major Leaguer to have 400 Home Runs before his 30th birthday.

Gemmy10

It is a done deal!!!!

Axtell

NOW you're an Arod fan?

Bandwagoner.

80sToyguy

Another typical A-Rod game--Yanks still would have scored 7 runs had he not played, yet he decides to hit 2 taters to pad his stats--how about some of those taters against the Twins or Royals last week A-Rod? Can this guy please hit one in a meaningful situation!?!
Jay

Axtell

<< <i>Another typical A-Rod game--Yanks still would have scored 7 runs had he not played, yet he decides to hit 2 taters to pad his stats--how about some of those taters against the Twins or Royals last week A-Rod? Can this guy please hit one in a meaningful situation!?!
Jay >>



If you think a player can pick and choose when he hits home runs, you are giving Arod waaaay too much credit heh.

What about Jeter choking the last two nights prior to this one, grounding out with a runner in scoring position? I didn't hear anyone complaining about that.

Arod is always going to be the focus of envy and spite from those jealous of his skill and paycheck...no matter what he does (i.e. being the fastest to hit 400 HRs, on his way to another MVP this year) will ever change that.

iamthegreatcornholio

Sheesh, hitting is contagious, to say if he didn't play the Yankees still would have scored 7 is not a good argument. That's like blaming a pitcher for throwing a shutout if his team scores more than 1 run...

Brian

80sToyguy

Arod is no MVP Axtell, he was given his token 1 already for having a good year on a terrible team. The Yankees suck with him, Texas sucked with him and Seattle choked time and time again with that albatross around their neck! And the point you bring up about taking the money--anyone would do it? To be honest, I don't think alot of players would have done what he did--you're forgetting that this guy was offered ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY MILLION from 2 other teams as well, much, MUCH better teams at the time (Seattle and New York). It's a little different when you take a job that pays $55,000 over a job that pays $45,000, that I can see, and although the difference is around 80 million dollars, he was still being offered millions and millions, and MILLIONS of dollars from GOOD TEAMS! Why do you still give this guy an ounce of credibility--he's all about the paycheck, nothing more. I don't want to hear about his work ethic, I don't want to hear about his attitude--anyone with a good attitude that actually cared about winning championships wouldn't hire the mondern day Adolf Hitler (who has destroyed baseball in my opinion). Anyone who hires Scott Boras simply cares about money, and lot's of it.
So once again, am I jealous--NO! Do I think he's a pu**y for taking money from a horrible team because a little bald headed freak (Boras), and a control freak A**hole (Fehr), told him to to help other free agents--YES!!! I always will. He is what is wrong with baseball, I am so sick of hearing about this guys work ethic--I GUESS HE'D SHOW UP EARLY AND LEAVE LATER WHEN YOU PULL IN THAT KIND OF DOUGH--THAT SHOULD BE EXPECTED, NOT COMPLIMENTED! Start cheering for one of the good guys, like Vladdy (and he didn't spurn the Spos, they didn't even offer him a contract because they didn't want to insult the games best hitter), or before him guys like Kiby Puckett or Gibby--guys who played to win regardless of their paycheck or stats--these guys were gamers, Pay-Rod can't wait for off days to go buy more cars and fur coats!
Jay

Gemmy10

I heard there is a 2 for 1 special on weddings:

A-Rod & Axtell Rose
Vlad & Toy Boy

Pucker up boys!!!!

Axtell

Toyguy...first, long long post.

Second, comparing an agent to Hitler? Are you nuts?

Third, you say his teams have always sucked? Mariners his last year there won 91 games, and the yankees won what, 100+ games last year? Guess those teams sucked bad huh?

You say Arod chokes in big sitations? 2000 playoff series with the Ms vs. the Yankees, he 'only' batted .409, slugged .773. Yeah, big time choke artist, right?

You say the Expos didnt want to insult Vladdy with an offer? Come on now, your hero, if he were a real team player, should have stayed with them right, if he was loyal? It's pretty hypocritical to despise Arod for taking the biggest payday possible (and with Texas promising to put a pitching staff in), and then praise your boy Vladdy.

You say he better get up early for that kind of dough? Yeah, how many players do? Do you think Sheffield is there at 6 am working out? What about anyone else in the league?

You tell me its not his paycheck you are mad at him over, then go into an entire rant about it...how his agent is the devil for bypassing $170 million and getting $250. THAT'S HIS JOB. If you don't do that for your clients, you get FIRED.

You are obviously passionate about the game and that's a great thing-however, I think you let your obvious bias for Vladdy get in the way and you know that he will always be overshadowed by Arod's superior game...and that really ticks you off.

Gemmy10

Ha Ha Funny. Ha Ha Funny.

Axtell

<< <i>I heard there is a 2 for 1 special on weddings:

A-Rod & Axtell Rose
Vlad & Toy Boy

Pucker up boys!!!! >>



Spammy and Tino kissing in a tree?

80sToyguy

I'll tell you what Axtell, let's just agree to disagree. I still think alot of other players in that situation would have stayed put, but that's just my opinion. Realistically though, I don't ever remember a team trying to buy a pitching staff and succeeding, so for Arod to be fooled into thinking it might happen is simply a way for him to cop-out to the public---don't buy into Axtell, he really only wanted the money. Lastly, you bring up 1 playoff series for Arod--how'd he do last year? The Yanks might have used a key hit out of him in the last 4 games but nope, he disappeared. O.K, enough about Arod. I will say this about Boras though--he cares very little about the good of the game (obviously), and you don't choose Scott Boras as your agent without thinking dollars first--sorry, it's just fact. Again, $170,000,000 is more than I, my father, my grandfather, etc, etc, will have made in our lives--hundreds and hundreds of years of living--to turn that down is absurd. I realize there was alot of pressure on Arod to take the contract by the players association, but a real man would have stood up to them.
Gemmy, I'd rather marry Vasquez, and your Yankees still suck!
Jay

SoFLPhillyFan

<< <i>Arod is no MVP Axtell, he was given his token 1 already for having a good year on a terrible team. The Yankees suck with him, Texas sucked with him and Seattle choked time and time again with that albatross around their neck! And the point you bring up about taking the money--anyone would do it? To be honest, I don't think alot of players would have done what he did--you're forgetting that this guy was offered ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY MILLION from 2 other teams as well, much, MUCH better teams at the time (Seattle and New York). It's a little different when you take a job that pays $55,000 over a job that pays $45,000, that I can see, and although the difference is around 80 million dollars, he was still being offered millions and millions, and MILLIONS of dollars from GOOD TEAMS! Why do you still give this guy an ounce of credibility--he's all about the paycheck, nothing more. I don't want to hear about his work ethic, I don't want to hear about his attitude--anyone with a good attitude that actually cared about winning championships wouldn't hire the mondern day Adolf Hitler (who has destroyed baseball in my opinion). Anyone who hires Scott Boras simply cares about money, and lot's of it.
So once again, am I jealous--NO! Do I think he's a pu**y for taking money from a horrible team because a little bald headed freak (Boras), and a control freak A**hole (Fehr), told him to to help other free agents--YES!!! I always will. He is what is wrong with baseball, I am so sick of hearing about this guys work ethic--I GUESS HE'D SHOW UP EARLY AND LEAVE LATER WHEN YOU PULL IN THAT KIND OF DOUGH--THAT SHOULD BE EXPECTED, NOT COMPLIMENTED! Start cheering for one of the good guys, like Vladdy (and he didn't spurn the Spos, they didn't even offer him a contract because they didn't want to insult the games best hitter), or before him guys like Kiby Puckett or Gibby--guys who played to win regardless of their paycheck or stats--these guys were gamers, Pay-Rod can't wait for off days to go buy more cars and fur coats!
Jay >>




Wow, such an angry Canadian. Still pi$$ed about losing the Expos huh?
Yeah, the league ripped a gold mine out of Montreal.
Calm down.....open a Molson.

Axtell

<< <i>Lastly, you bring up 1 playoff series for Arod--how'd he do last year? The Yanks might have used a key hit out of him in the last 4 games but nope, he disappeared. >>



In the series against Minnesota, he batted .421, and in the series against Boston, he batted .258. Let's not forget that Boston DID win the world series, so it's not like he hit poorly against a bunch of bums.

He wasn't the only one who hit poorly in the ALCS for the yankees last year...like I mentioned, supposedly 'da leader' Jeter batted .200! So let's not point out Arod as the sole reason the Yankees lost the ALCS. It's convenient to point out Arod as the reason, but what about the pitching staff that had a combined ERA of 5.30?

I know you hate and despise Arod...I know you think he's all about the money and not about the game. But can I ask you this? If he was only about the paycheck, how did he continue to perform at such a high level on the texas teams that were as bad as they were? How many times have you seen a high level athlete call it in when it's obvious his team isn't going anywhere?

Gemmy10

Jeter Da Leader and don't you forget it!!!!

Skinpinch

Post season batting stats are the primary result of randomness and insufficient sample size! Basically it is akin to awarding batting titles in May if you get my drift. Given due time the post season stats trend towards evening out to the true ability of what the player has accomplished in his thousands of regular season at bats. As a quick reference all you need to do is check the Yankees of the past ten years, and since they have the most post season plate appearances, you will notice that the more they played the more their stats started to resemble their regular season stats. The post season hero is basically a myth.

If Bernie Williams had retired or never got back to the post season after his first couple of series he would have gone down in history as a 'clutch' post season hero, and that would have been an incorrect analysis. Instead, as he was able to go on, his post season stats leveled out. His early success wasn't because he was cluth, it was because he happened to get hot at the right time...and his later failures wasn't because he was a choker, it was because he had some mini slumps at the wrong time, just like what occurs all the time in the regular season. You see that ALL THE TIME throughout history. I have a load of evidence on this subject, so if you care to take me to task be prepared.

BTW, Vladdy hit .167 last year against the BoSox in the post season, so 80'stoyguy if you wish to continue to use your flawed logic against Arod, then you must apply it to Vladdy and call him a choker too. The fact is, neither one of them are chokers, the post seasons stats are just a random sample of their ability, not much different than what you may see from May 10 through May 18. If some guy did have the ability to rise to the post season occasion and blast homers at will, then why waste it on the post season? Why not call on that ability and hit 95 home runs every year?? Why? Because nobody has such an ability.

P.S. Arod may be a selfish SOB(money wise), but the reasons for him not being on a championship team are many, none of which has anything to do with his playing ability, or ability to play on a team. Fans make the common mistake of just simply looking at the wrong evidence and simpe evidence...no rings, and forgetting the other variables...TEAMMATES, and GOOD LUCK AND GOOD FORTUNE. I love busting fandom myths, and I love busting people that apply evidence only when it suits their needs, and I love busting people that use incorrect evidence to make their case.

I promised myself not to get myself into these debates, especially when I would have better luck telling the ancient greeks that some guy named Atlas really wasn't holding up the world. Fans have a hard time getting the brainwash out of them. But since I have been under some stress in other areas of life I need to write tonight to get my mind off things. SO I apologize in advance if my posts come late or never.

Another P.S. Yes Arod is a greedy S.O.B, but Vladdy could have stayed in Montreal too. He could have accepted far less and came to management and told them as such. Turk Wendell offered to play for free at one time, why couldnt' Vladdy? Why? Because like 95% of them he is greedy. It is just that only a very few hold all the bargaining chips and at the right time.

Axtell

<< <i>Post season batting stats are the primary result of randomness and insufficient sample size! >>



You couldn't be more right. People like to remember the good and forget the bad, and then call someone 'clutch' when in fact it's completely random - as I stated before, if someone was so clutch that they could force their will and get hits in key situations, why wouldn't they do that all the time?



<< <i>
BTW, Vladdy hit .167 last year against the BoSox in the post season, so 80'stoyguy if you wish to continue to use your flawed logic against Arod, then you must apply it to Vladdy and call him a choker too. The fact is, neither one of them are chokers, the post seasons stats are just a random sample of their ability, not much different than what you may see from May 10 through May 18. If some guy did have the ability to rise to the post season occasion and blast homers at will, then why waste it on the post season? Why not call on that ability and hit 95 home runs every year?? Why? Because nobody has such an ability.
>>



Great point - but people will always worship their heroes and villify those they see as 'bad' guys...even though the myth of the clutch hitter is just that - a myth (as you've so eloquently pointed out).


<< <i>
P.S. Arod may be a selfish SOB(money wise), but the reasons for him not being on a championship team are many, none of which has anything to do with his playing ability, or ability to play on a team. Fans make the common mistake of just simply looking at the wrong evidence and simpe evidence...no rings, and forgetting the other variables...TEAMMATES, and GOOD LUCK AND GOOD FORTUNE. I love busting fandom myths, and I love busting people that apply evidence only when it suits their needs, and I love busting people that use incorrect evidence to make their case.

I promised myself not to get myself into these debates, especially when I would have better luck telling the ancient greeks that some guy named Atlas really wasn't holding up the world. Fans have a hard time getting the brainwash out of them. But since I have been under some stress in other areas of life I need to write tonight to get my mind off things. SO I apologize in advance if my posts come late or never.

Another P.S. Yes Arod is a greedy S.O.B, but Vladdy could have stayed in Montreal too. He could have accepted far less and came to management and told them as such. Turk Wendell offered to play for free at one time, why couldnt' Vladdy? Why? Because like 95% of them he is greedy. It is just that only a very few hold all the bargaining chips and at the right time. >>



Again, you are going to have 80s toyguy try to justify why vladdy wasn't offered a deal in Montreal (they didn't want to 'insult' him)...whereas if he was the I-just-love-playing-the-game guy he is made out to be, he would have stayed and played for whatever they could have afford.

Face it: athletes (or whoever is successful) is so BECAUSE they are greedy: they want the MOST out of themselves, of their teammates, of those around them. They have pushed hard their entire lives, they have worked their tails off to get to the top, and they aren't going to relent when it comes to contract money. You think an Arod or Peyton Manning has had it easy? Yes, they've been gifted with superior athletic gifts, but they are ALWAYS pushing themselves for more. Why wouldn't that carry over to their contract demands?

80sToyguy

Whoa, let's pile on Jay now shall we? Valddy wasn't offered a contract in Montreal--not offered a penny. In the 30+ years the frachise was in Montreal he was their best player, hands down. Had they offered what they could pay, about 5 million, it would be insulting. So over five years you'd be looking at 25 mil, where as he ended up getting 75--big diffence. That's still an astounding 100 million less than a player with similar ability was offered by both Seattle and New York, and of course nearly 200 million less than that idiot hick, Tom Hicks, offered him. This debate could go on forever, but Rodriquez wasn't offered insulting money right from the get go, but decided to squeeze every last dime he could before he signed--YES, most ball players are greedy, but MOST would rather stay put when they're already in a winning situation and try to reward all the fans that came out to support him--Pay-Rod didn't, he spit in everyone's face (not litterally like Alomar did), and then lied and lied again about going to a team that he thought had a chance to win it all--did he look at the pitching staff they had?--nope, he was too busy out buying another car and some more fur coats. He's a clown, 1 good playoff run, the rest of the time he laid his cards down (just like Bonds who's an even bigger joke but we won't get into that one). I understand the philosophy of a week's worth of games and how they shouldn't be a measuring stick to a players performance, but when you make that type of money you show up, and you get it done--he hasn't done the latter. When he does, I'll edit my posts and tell you all he's worth every penny.
Jay

Axtell

It's obvious from your rambling posts your biggest beef with Arod is not that he's the best player in the game (he is), but you HATE him for getting paid all that money.

Why don't you be up front and say you are envious that he was able to squeeze $250 million out of a team owner?

Coming from a Mariner fan, I APPLAUD him for that fact!